The Epiphany of the Lord, January 7, 2024

Community Finances:   

  Expenses: $  710.00

  Outreach: $   50.00

 

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Brent gets a check for Soul's Harbor

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

Ezekiel 33:  Thus says the Lord: You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.

Romans 13: Brothers and sisters: Owe nothing to anyone, except to love on another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Matthew 18:  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

 

Denni reading from Ezekiel

 

Thanks…     

Music,    Shonda & Ben 

Readers,  Denni & Tom

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B,  John Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Kevin

Final Blessing, Rosemary

                                      

Tom reading from Peter's Letter to the Romans

 

 

Readings:  Download 09-10-23 Readings -23rd Ordinary

Homily:  

 

 

Brent commenting on the Homily

 

 

Remember these special people:

For the family of Ron Senter;   For Meredith  whose cancer has come back;  For Tom Good;  For Tom  Quinn who had back surgery on November 21st; For Lambrini, John Cade's wife, who is dealing with cancer ;  For Madeleine, Richard Eshelbrenner's granddaughter;  For Hue; For Jackie;  For John's sister, Kathey recovering from a fall;   For Tom Good;   For Mary Hall's friend Cadence still suffering from a serious medical condition;   For Sir Charlie;  For Ron ;  For Teresa Quinn's niece, Maddie who has a brain tumor;

                                                                                                 

 

Jackie's sister, & friend, Lynn;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg.;   For Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Dee, and for her daughters, Lisa & Lauren;  For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little baby boy named Ford recuperating from an operation & the families of Annie and Michael ;    for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

 

 

Beth and Rob get a cookie  for their anniversary

                                          

Birthdays:   Waren Wittek

Anniversaries:  Mike & Geri Moran

                 

Community Finances:   

Expenses: $  36500

Outreach: $  50.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

       

Loretta gets a cookie for coming back to visit

 

"Welcome in, Everybody," from Carol Ann & Doug, David & Caroline.

 

 

 Readings:

Jonah 3, 1-5, 10,  The word of the Lord came to Jonah (a fun story)

Psalm 25,  Teach me your ways, O Lord

Corinthians 7, 29-31,   The time is running out.

Mark 1, 14-20, Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.  

 

 

 

Mother & Daughter, Connie & Jessica.  Welcome home, Jessica.

 

 

In our first reading, the word of the Lord came to Jonah; he was to call the people of Nineveh to turn from their evil ways.

 

Our second reading from 1 Corinthians is reminding us what is really important;

be Christ in the world.

 

 

 

Hi, Leo. 

 

 

Homily:  Mike  

 

The first words in our reading from the Mark gospel were a call given by Jesus of Nazareth to follow him to Jerusalem, ‘The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and welcome and live the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Jesus then calls Peter and Andrew and James and John, to leave their nets and follow him, to become fishers of men.   It is important to realize that the inspired writers of all four gospels began each gospel with a summary of the important teachings that they had presented within their gospels. 

 

 

 

 

Leo??  Anybody seen Leo around?

 

 

Today’s reading is about the enhancement that the early Church made to the sabbath synagogue service of Judaism to form the Christian Liturgy of the Word.

During the Babylonian captivity the sabbath synagogue service began to come into existence, for the Jews were in exile, the temple was a long way off, and it had been destroyed.  This service of worship and instruction was implemented and Judaism did survive; its worship and its religious instruction that had been handed down to each following generation had become the glue that held the Jews together.

 

 

 

Welcome to the Choir, Emma.  You sing beautifully.

 

At the time of Jesus of Nazareth, it was a service each sabbath with Psalms to be sung to worship God, a readings that was an expectation from the Law and Prophets for the coming of the Messiah, and a teaching on that same reading given by an elder or scribe, if possible.

With that in mind, listen how our early Church chose to enhance the sabbath synagogue service for the Church’s Liturgy of the Word and show, at the same time, the sacred relationship that would always exist between Judaism and Christianity:

 

 

 

Our Candle Man of The Week, Ben, at work.

 

 

In today’s reading, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught, and we are told that by the power and authority of the Holy Spirit he astounded those at the service for his teaching of the Good News was unlike those given by the scribes. The scribe could only give a teaching on the  expectation of the passage; Jesus’ words gave a fulfillment of the expectation.  

This fulfillment was followed by a spiritual instruction given on the fulfillment [like the one you are reading].   The inspired writers of a complementary parable Story about this enhancement, given in the Luke gospel, put the fulfillment of an expectation on the coming of the Messiah from Isaiah this way:  Jesus stood up after the reading from Isaiah in the synagogue service saying, ‘This day these words are being fulfilled in your hearing.’  

 

 

 

The Team, Leo, Georgie, Buddy, and Deacon Mike, waiting to share his homily.

 

Something to think about:   Yesterday’s Sabbath Synagogue Service, at one location, began with Hymns and Blessings, and a reading from the Torah from a calendar of readings that stretches over one complete lunar year.

 

 

 

Mike, scoping out the landscape.

 

Thanks…     

Music,   Ben & Shonda

Donna updates us on the sweatshirt and hoodie drive

 

Expenses: $   1,000.00

Outreach: $   450.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Lynda reads her blessing

 

 

Lynda's Blessing:

Today I am thankful for eyes that have come to see that life will not always be easy.
That road will bend.
Those lines will blur.
That tides will rise.
And that storms will come.
I am thankful for those lights that took the form of humans.
Who shone into me when I was at my lowest.
Who were not afraid of sadness. Or darkness.
Or the many layers that wove themselves around me and made me hard to understand.
Or reach. Or even hard to love sometimes.
I'm thankful for skies that change color.
For paths that change direction.
And for seasons that remind me that we are all just one breath away from a new beginning.
I am thankful, knowing that kindness still exists.
That the truth is out there.
That faith can move mountains.
And that I was made for every last bit of it.

~ 'Thankful' by Ullie Kaye

 

 

Nehemiah 8:  Then Ezra praised God, the great God, and all the people responded, "Oh Yes! Yes!" with hands raised high. And then they fell to their knees in worship of God, their faces to the ground.

1 Corinthians 12:  You are Christ's body – that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything.

John 2:  God's Spirit is on me; he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free,  to announce, "This is God's year to act!"

 

 

Music,   Ben & Shonda

John's birthday cake

 

Expenses: $   340.00

Outreach: $    80.00

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

Randolf gets a cookie for his birthday

 

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

Oh God of humor enable us to laugh at your mischievous plans. 

Life can become serious during these cold winter months, and our hearts can become heavy and burdened with responsibilities, decisions and trying to keep everyone happy. 

Let us look for the funny things that happen, the unexpected surprise that catches us off-guard, along with the incongruences that we encounter. 

Smile, snicker, giggle, give a belly laugh, and spontaneously guffaw. 

You will be amazed at how God works through laughter.

Sr. Mary Elizabeth Schweiger

 

 

 

Community Finances:   

  Expenses: $   590.00

  Outreach: $     150.00

 

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

 

 

The Kiss of Peace

 

Rosemary's Blessing:

Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars.
Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings.
Now, think.
What delight God gives to humankind
with all these things. . . .
All nature is at the disposal of humankind.
We are to work with it.

For without we cannot survive.

 

Hildegard of Bingen (September 16, 1098 – September 17, 1179)